Two Dead, Catholic Priest Wounded In Israeli Attack On Gaza Catholic Parish

Israel is being blamed for a strike on the only Catholic Church in wartorn Gaza. According to the Latin Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the strike resulted in the deaths of two people and several injured.

"Two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family Compound this morning," the Patriarchate said in a statement dated on July 17.
Earlier, reports conflicted over whether the attack caused deaths.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, told Vatican News that two of the injured persons are in very critical condition: “What we know for sure is that a tank, the IDF says by mistake, but we are not sure about this, they hit the Church directly, the Church of the Holy Family, the Latin Church”, he said. “There are four people seriously wounded, among these four, two are in very dramatic conditions and their lives are in serious danger.”

“There are also other injured but less problematic, among them also the parish priest, because they were all in the church...We don’t have complete information about what has happened in Gaza today because the communication in Gaza is not that simple”, adding he will try to get more information as soon as possible.

In response, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it was "aware of reports regarding damage caused to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and casualties at the scene. The circumstances of the incident are under review." It added, "The IDF makes every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian structures, including religious sites, and regrets any damage caused to them."

A separate statement from Holy Family parish in Gaza noted "a number of injured, some in critical condition."

The Patriarchate stated that pastor Fr. Gabriel Romanelli was among the injured. The Argentine priest kept in regular contact with fellow Argentine Pope Francis about the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Reuters video appeared to indicate that he was lightly injured, and had a bandaged left leg. He appeared able to walk.

The Vatican has not yet released a statement about the incident. However, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni blamed Israel for the strike on the church. "The attacks against the civilian population that Israel has been carrying out for months are unacceptable. No military action can justify such an attitude," she said in a statement.

Pizzaballa told Vatican News, "We always try to reach Gaza in all possible ways, directly and indirectly. Now it's too early to talk about all this, we need to understand what happened, what should be done, especially to protect our people, and of course try to make sure that these things don't happen anymore. Then we will see how to continue, but certainly we will never leave them alone." There are currently about 500 Christians taking shelter at the Holy Family compound, which has sustained attacks in the past.